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Nightmares
|upkeep_cost = |num_figures = |moves = |melee = * |ranged = * |defense = |resist = * |hits = |abilities = Ranged Attack x4 Scouting }} Nightmares are a type of Normal Unit. This unit is unique to the Dark Elf race, and may only be created at a Dark Elf town, for the Construction Cost of . The town must already contain a Fantastic Stable for this to be possible. Nightmares are the Dark Elves' shock-cavalry. Flying, fast, and heavy-hitting, they can control the battlefield rather easily against other Normal Units, and pose a significant threat to Fantastic Units as well. Nightmares can be used either for eliminating enemy Ranged Attack units quickly, or for assisting ground forces in the destruction of heavier Melee Attack units. They excel in both tasks. Nightmares also possess a remarkable Resistance score. Nightmares require an Upkeep Cost of and to maintain. Failure to pay these costs will result in the unit being disbanded automatically. Unit Properties Physical Description A Nightmares is a type of demonic creature drawn from the magical realms, that is related to the common horse. Nightmares are black, with bright-red manes and tails. The strong magical energy that surrounds them enables them to gallop on the air as easily as they gallop on land. They are powerful and fast horses. Each Nightmare is ridden by a single Dark Elf - a slender humanoid with violet-colored skin and white hair. These riders use swords to fight from horseback, but are also quite adept at channeling magical energy into a destructive force. Both riders and mounts are also incredibly resistant to magic and other ill effects. In real-world folklore, Nightmares were thought to be responsible for terrorizing men's dreams. They were ridden by incubi who, among other things, were thought to cause temporary paralysis by sitting on their victims' chests as they slept. Nightmares are a , containing only when fully healed. Attack Properties Nightmares rely primarily on a strong Melee Attack, but their skills with magic also allow them to make a Magical Ranged Attack up to 4 times in each battle. Both attacks are suitable primarily against heavy armor, which they can easily breach. Nightmares usually employ their Ranged Attack first to weaken an opponent, and then swoop in for a kill. Each Nightmare has a default Melee Attack score of . However, since Nightmares usually come with at least one free , their actual attack score is normally . With no additional bonuses, this delivers an average damage output of about . The high damage output allows Nightmares to easily cause damage through armor, and thus can effectively attack high-tier Normal Units, low-tier Fantastic Units, and even Heroes. Sadly, because the Nightmares unit contains only , the total damage will likely be comparable to that of a basic Swordsmen unit, but again with a much higher chance of getting through heavy armor - which Swordsmen cannot. Before they close in for a kill however, Nightmares can use their Ranged Attack up to 4 times per battle. Each Nightmare attacks with a strength of by default, usually increased to due to the unit's free Experience Level. This delivers an average damage output of per , not far short of the unit's Melee Attack! Again, with only , the Nightmares' Ranged Attack is not too impressive on the whole, but stands a fairly good chance of getting through armor and will cause at least some damage to most units. This Ranged Attack delivers Magical Damage, which means that it does not suffer any To Hit distance penalties. As a result, it is useful at any distance. On the other hand, targets with Magic Immunity will probably suffer no damage whatsoever from this attack. Defense Properties Nightmares possess a Defense score of - which is pretty good for a Normal Unit. This allows them to deflect about from any damage source, on average. Low-tier Normal Units will have a hard time causing any damage through this armor, though stronger creatures will still inflict damage on the Nightmares. On the other hand, Nightmares are extremely healthy for Normal Units, with per Nightmare (for a total of in a fully-healed unit). With good defense and survivability, Nightmares can afford to take on rather strong units, and have little to fear from weak units. They will last long even in arduous combat. Dark Elves are inherently resistant to magic, and so are the Nightmares themselves. This gives the unit an impressive Resistance score of by default. Again, since Nightmares are almost always created with at least one free , they will normally have a score of instead! This provides excellent protection from Curses and other ill effects, with a high chance of averting them. With only one additional Experience Level, Nightmares reach and become immune to several types of ill effects. Each additional level beyond that will make them immune to more and more effects. Other Properties Nightmares are Flying creatures, and move at a rate of both overland and in combat - a very fast speed! This allows them to control a battlefield, quickly reacting to any developments and chasing down enemy units. On the overland map they make good scouts (no thanks to their Scouting skill), but are a little too expensive for that purpose. Basic Strategy Nightmares are the heavy cavalry of the Dark Elf army. Their job on the battlefield is to provide a strong attack force - particularly for defeating high-tier Normal Units, contending with Heroes, and harassing Fantastic Units. At the start of a battle, Nightmares will generally use their speed to advance and attack simultaneously. They can move forward (or sideways) by two tiles before using their Ranged Attack at the most suitable target they can find - usually the strongest unit on the battlefield. As they draw closer, they may come under some missile attacks from the enemy, but will usually hold up under fire quite well. Once they are in position, the Nightmares will expend their remaining Ranged Attacks (if they have any), and then move in to make a Melee Attack against their target. The target could be the enemy's Ranged Attack units, but it is often the strongest unit in the enemy lines - which by now should've been weakened somewhat by Dark Elf ranged attacks. If the target is sufficiently strong, several Nightmares should band together to defeat it. Two Nightmares could possibly take out a high-tier Fantastic Creature, concentrating both Ranged Attacks and then Melee Attacks against it. Remember of course that strong enemy creatures will also fight back - and may easily kill the Nightmares with just a few attacks. Maneuver constantly, using the Nightmares excellent speed, in order to avert this. If the enemy army contains no powerful units, the Nightmares will likely spend their time flying from target to target, killing enemies in support of the Dark Elf infantry. Ability Overview Ranged Attack x4 * This unit may use a instead of a Melee Attack up to 4 times in each battle. Once the unit's ammo is expended, it must resort to Melee Attacks. Scouting * Increases the unit's Sight Range to 2. On the overland map, this unit can now reveal the fog-of-war and detect enemy units within 2 tiles of its position (including diagonals). * : Flying units do not benefit from this ability at all, as their Sight Range is already 2 tiles in each direction. This ability should've increased Sight Range further for such units, but it does not. Experience Table The following table illustrates how Nightmares improve as they gain Experience. Any properties that are not listed here do not improve with Experience in any way. * To achieve this level, either the Warlord Retort or the Crusade spell must be in play. ** To achieve this level, both the Warlord Retort and the Crusade spell must be in play simultaneously. Average Damage Output The table below details the average amount of damage that each in a Nightmares unit will deliver with each type of attack, based on . It can be used in comparison to the target's Defense rating to figure out the chance of hurting that target. Acquisition Nightmares are unique to the Dark Elf race, and thus may be produced in any Dark Elf Town. A town must contain a Fantastic Stable to be able to produce Nightmares. Should a town lose an existing Fantastic Stable, it can no longer produce Nightmares until a replacement structure is built. Note that this building requirement means that Nightmares produced in towns will always start as "Regular" troops (one free Experience Level), giving them a small but significant bonus above the default unit strength. The Construction Cost of this unit is . Nightmares may appear for hire as Mercenaries. They may already have some Experience on being hired, and several units may be hired simultaneously. Hiring these units requires a certain cost in that depends on many different factors. Nightmare Mercenaries have the same Upkeep Cost as a normally-constructed unit. Category:Units Category:Normal Units Category:Dark Elves